Modern golf is considered to be a Scottish invention. The first game of golf for which records survive was played at Bruntsfield Links, in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1456, recorded in the archives of the Edinburgh Burgess Golfing Society.
Golf is governed by The Rules of Golf as approved by the United States Golf Association and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, Scotland, referred to herein as the USGA Rules. The most current rules are available from www.USGA.org. A typical game of golf is played on a course having 18 holes and a golfer may carry up to 14 clubs with him during play. An average golfer uses over 80 strokes to complete the game, and typically half of those stokes are putts. Therefore, the putter is by far the most important of the regulation 14 golf clubs in a golfer's bag, and improved putting will improve a player's score more than improvement in any other stroke.
In many respects, the correct use of the putter represents a more difficult problem for golfers than the other clubs. This is due to the relative delicacy and reduced arc of the putting stroke, and the necessity for striking the ball with the face of the putter precisely perpendicular to the intended path of the ball and for maintaining this position of the putter during the entire putting stroke. Accuracy of stroking is more important with the putter than with any other club because of the small target at which the ball is directed, and the absolute requirement that unless the indicated relation of the club face and the ball is established, the ball will be irregularly struck and thereby off the intended line.
Consequently, thousands of devices and methods have been devised to help a golfer improve his putting, ranging from the practical to the absurd. Most of these devices do not conform to the-design of clubs specified by the USGA Rules, however, and therefore are used during practice only. The golfer must switch putters to play a round of golf, thus changing the primary tool with which he perfected his stroke. As a result, the putt stokes during play are seldom as good as during practice. It would be advantageous, then, to provide a dual-purpose putter that conforms to the Rules of Golf so that the golfer can use the same putter in practice as in play.
Under the USGA Rules, the putter shall have a shaft and a head, fixed to form one unit. When the golf club is in its normal position to address the ball, the shaft shall be aligned so that the projection of the straight part of the shaft onto the vertical plane through the toe and heel shall diverge from the vertical by at least 10 degrees. Further, the projection of the straight part of the shaft onto the vertical plane along the intended line of play shall not diverge from the vertical by more than 20 degrees. The USGA Rules further require that the clubhead meet specific criteria. For example, the distance from the heel to the toe of a putter shall be greater than the distance from the play face to the back. These rules limit the orientation of the shaft to the clubhead, and therefore the balance of the putter, a major factor in aligning the ball and in putting consistently.
Unlike the proper position or stance of a golfer when hitting a golf ball with other golf clubs, it is generally agreed that when putting a golfer should bend forward and place his eyes over the ball, in the vertical plane of the ball and looking down at the ball along a line which is normal to the portion of the putting surface on which the ball lies. Novice golfers have a tendency to stand too straight when putting and consequently look at the ball along a slanted line. Even experienced golfers, when their putting deteriorates, find that they are not getting their eyes directly over the ball and looking at the ball along a straight line passing through the ball and normal to the portion of the surface on which the ball lies. Failure of a player to properly position his eyes while putting results in failure to have the head of his putter properly positioned at the moment it strikes the ball. Instead of being parallel to the putting surface and normal to the line of travel desired for the ball the outer end of the putter head may be angled up and the face of the putter may be “open” or “closed” instead of normal to the desired line of travel.
Therefore, there is need for a device by which a player in practice putting may train himself to properly position himself with respect to the ball. One of the main causes for high scores in the game of golf is faulty putting on the green in the final phase of the golfer's effort to sink his ball into the target hole. The inventor has found that a key to proficient putting in playing the game of golf, lies in developing a consistent putting stroke. The direction that a ball takes when rolling on a green toward a hole depends upon three major variables. The first critical factor in executing a proper putting stroke is the club head path.
To make the ball roll in precisely the intended direction it is necessary that the golfer swing the putter within and in parallelism with a vertical plane containing the intended line of direction. Frequently, however, golf players depart from this plane, either at the beginning and/or the end of the putting stroke, and in this matter impart to the ball a slightly misdirected moment as the head of the putter makes contact with ball. In practicing putting to overcome the described putting defect, it is often difficult, if not impossible, for the player to judge whether his club departed laterally from parallelism with the vertical plane containing the desired line of advance of the ball, and it is therefore necessary for him to ask friends or an instructor to watch his practice strokes.
It has further been found that lateral motion (motion perpendicular to the desired trajectory of the ball and parallel to the ground), if present in a putting stroke during impact with the ball, may cause the ball to diverge from the golfer's intended trajectory. To avoid this, a golfer's putting stroke should contain no lateral motion. In this regard, it follows that a putting practice device should train the golfer to consistently use a putting stroke free of lateral motion.
A second factor is the position of the club face relative to the ball, that is, whether the club face is open or closed. It has been found that lateral motion (motion perpendicular to the desired trajectory of the ball and parallel to the ground), if present in a putting stroke during impact with the ball, may cause the ball to diverge from the golfer's intended trajectory. To avoid this, a golfer's putting stroke should contain no lateral motion. In this regard, it follows that a putting practice device should train the golfer to consistently use a putting stroke free of lateral motion. In this regard, it follows that a putting practice device should train the golfer to consistently use a putting stroke free of lateral motion.
A third factor is the location on the putter striking face where the ball is actually struck, it being appreciated that hitting a ball precisely at the center of percussion will produce the truest and straightest roll. It has long been thought that the putting stroke was a miniature of a full golf swing; that is, the club head moves in an arcuate path by being brought back on an inside path during the back swing, returned to a square position at impact, and returned on an inside path during the follow through. This motion opens the club face during the back swing portion of the stroke and closes it during the follow through portion of the stroke relative to the line a golf ball must roll in order to be holed. By opening and closing the putter club face, consistency in the execution of a golf stroke becomes much more difficult.
The inventor has found that a more scientific approach to developing a pure putting stroke concludes that the stroke should emulate a pure pendulum movement, whereby the putter face remains square and follows a straight line path with a straight back, straight through motion coincident with the aim line a golfer has selected after reading the green surface in order to hole the golf ball. This straight path motion minimizes deviations in the path of the putter head, which commonly occur with an arcuate stroke, and also aids in maintaining the club face perfectly square throughout the full extent of the putting stroke including the back swing, and the impact position and the follow through.
Therefore, there is need for a device that causes the golfer to move the putter in a pendulum motion during a putting stroke. One method of doing this is to use a so-called “belly putter” in which a top end of the putter is placed in abutting contact with the stomach of the golfer and the golfer grips the shaft of the putter. The abutting contact between the club and the golfer acts as a fulcrum about which the putter is swung in a pendulum motion.
Due to this positioning of the putter, a golfer's regular putter may not work as a belly putter. Therefore, the golfer may be forced to purchase a second putter if he or she wishes to practice their putting using a belly putter. Furthermore, because golfer's have different heights, a single putter will not fit all golfers. Again, a golfer may be forced to purchase additional putters in order to have a practice club that is most efficient and effective. Of course, this can be costly. In some instances, the belly putter, while efficient and suitable for practice, may not be suitable for use during an actual round of golf.
The penalty for playing a game of golf with a putter that does not conform to the USGA Rules is disqualification from the game. However, with the many rules pertaining to the design of putters, it is difficult to design a club that provides quality training features for practicing and yet can be used for play. Accordingly, there is a need for a putter that can be used for practice and play and that conforms to USGA Rules.